SURFACTANT ADSOLUBILIZATION AND MODIFIED ADMICELLAR SORPTION OF NONPOLAR, POLAR, AND IONIZABLE ORGANIC CONTAMINANTS

Adsolubilization of contaminants by media-sorbed surfactants is an imp ortant phenomenon for surfactant-based environmental technologies. The present research evaluates the impacts of contaminant properties on a dsolubilization (e.g., nonpolar, polar, and ionizable organic compound s). In addition, adsolubilization by modified admicelles is investigat ed (operating below the surfactant's Krafft temperature). The medium a nd surfactant investigated were alumina and sodium dodecyl sulfate, re spectively. Naphthalene, naphthol, and 4-amino-1-naphthalenesulfonic a cid were investigated as nonpolar, polar, and ionizable organic compou nds, respectively. Variations in adsolubilization results for these co mpounds are explained based on surfactant fundamentals and contaminant properties. Modified admicelles effectively adsolubilized organic mol ecules without requiring the presence of surfactant monomers. Implicat ions of these results to surfactant-based environmental technologies a re discussed.